♡Neko♡

Leona Kingscholar

The restaurant Leona had chosen wasn’t overly fancy, but it was nice enough, good food, lovely atmosphere, and most importantly, far enough from school that no one would bother you two. The date had been smooth. Leona was in a rare good mood, teasing you between bites but actually listening when you talked. The food was excellent, the conversation flowed easily.

After the plates were cleared, Leona leaned back in his chair with that lazy, satisfied smirk. “Pretty good, huh? We should head out soon.”

You nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I had a really nice time.”

Leona reached into his pocket for his wallet, then paused. He checked the other pocket. A small sigh escaped him. “Tch. Must’ve left my card back in the dorm. Whatever.”

Your stomach dropped out of habit. Without thinking, you reached for your purse, already pulling out your wallet like you’d done dozens of times before. “It’s fine. I’ll pay.”

Leona’s hand shot out, gently but firmly stopping yours before you could even open your wallet. “…What’re you doing?”

You blinked at him, confused by his confused tone. “Paying? It’s okay, really. I know how this goes.”

Leona stared at you like you’d grown a second head. His eyes narrowed, tail flicking once behind him. “You know how this goes?” he repeated slowly. “Herbivore, I’m the one who asked you out. I planned this. Why the hell would I make you pay just cause I forgot my card?”

He reached into his wallet and pulled out a thick stack of cash, more than enough to cover the bill and a generous tip. He flagged the waiter over and handed the money without hesitation, all while still looking at you with that baffled, slightly grumpy expression.

You sat there stunned, cheeks flushing hot. The casual way he just… paid. No excuses. No lies. No guilt tripping. No “I’ll get you next time” that never came.

Your ex used to “forget” his card every single time. Or suddenly be “short on cash.” Or straight up say it was your job as his partner to treat him. Every. Single. Time. You’d gotten so used to it that the second Leona mentioned forgetting his card, your body moved on muscle memory.

Leona noticed your silence and the way your face had gone red. He tilted his head, ears twitching. “…What’s with that face? You look like I just grew horns.”

You swallowed, voice quieter than you meant it to be. “My ex… he always ‘forgot’ his card too. Every date. Every time. And he’d get annoyed if I didn’t pay. So I just… assumed...”

Leona’s expression shifted. The lazy smirk faded, replaced by something sharper, irritation, but not at you. “Tch. What a pathetic excuse for a man.” He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he studied you. “Listen. If I invite you out, I’m paying. End of story. I’m not some broke loser who needs his partner to cover for him. If you wanna pay then that’s okay as well but Im not gonna force you.”

He stood up and offered you his hand, helping you out of your chair with surprising gentleness for someone so grumpy. As the two of you left the restaurant, Leona kept his hand on the small of your back. After a few steps he muttered “…You don’t have to look so shocked. It’s just basic decency. If that’s surprising to you, then your ex really was trash.”

You smiled, still flushed but feeling a warm flutter in your chest.

Jack Howl

It was a quiet, lazy evening in ramshackle. You and Jack were sprawled on the sofa in your pajamas, watching some ridiculous trash movie that was so bad it was actually entertaining. Jack sat upright like always, while you lay comfortably on your back with your legs resting across his lap. Then his hand moved to rest casually on your calf, thumb absently stroking the skin. The simple touch made you freeze. A wave of old anxiety hit you like a truck. You quickly yanked your legs away and snatched the blanket, throwing it over your lower half in one panicked motion.

Jack’s ears perked up, his eyes widening in confusion. He paused the movie and turned to you fully. “…Did I do something wrong?” he asked, voice serious. “Did I make you uncomfortable?”

You shook your head quickly, cheeks burning with embarrassment. “No, no… it’s not you! Its me! It’s just… I haven’t shaved my legs in a few days. They’re kinda spiky and gross right now. I didn’t want you to feel that.”

Jack stared at you like you’d just said something in another language. His brows furrowed deeply, ears twitching once. “…That’s it?” He sounded genuinely baffled. “You yanked your legs away and covered yourself because of that? That sounds dumb. I don’t care about stuff like that.”

You shifted under the blanket, hugging it tighter to your chest. “My ex used to get really disgusted if my legs weren’t perfectly smooth. He’d make comments about how prickly and unattractive it was… so I just got used to hiding it.”

Jack’s expression changed instantly. His tail stopped moving. His face hardened. Not at you, never at you, but at the ghost of the guy who made you feel like you had to apologize for something so normal. “That guy was the disgusting one.” Jack said bluntly, voice low and firm. “Not you. Him. What kind of weak, pathetic person gets upset over something like leg hair? It’s natural. You’re not a doll on display.”

He reached over and gently tugged the blanket back down, exposing your legs again. Then he placed his warm hand back on your calf without hesitation, stroking it the same way as before. The touch was incredibly gentle. “You don’t have to hide stuff like that from me.” he continued, looking at you straight in the eyes with that straightforward, sincere gaze. “I’m not your ex. I like you. Spiky legs or whatever, it doesn’t matter.”

Your eyes stung a little. The casual acceptance in his voice was still so new to you.

Jack expression soften and let out a small huff, cheeks turning slightly pink as he looked back at the TV. “…Besides…” he muttered, “you’re warm. I like having your legs on me. Don’t take that away… please.”

He gave your calf a light, reassuring squeeze before unpausing the movie, acting like he hadn’t just melted your heart with his blunt honesty.

Malleus Draconia

You were really looking forward to this date. Malleus had invited you to explore the town together, specifically to look at the ancient gargoyles. The idea was so perfectly him that you couldn’t say no. You spent extra time in front of the mirror, carefully choosing an outfit you genuinely loved, and perfect for a day out with your favorite dragon.

Malleus waited patiently in the ramshackle lounge, sitting on the couch. When you finally stepped out, you were practically bouncing with excitement. “So? How do I look?” you asked, doing a little spin. “Is this okay to wear today?”

Malleus tilted his head, his glowing eyes scanning you from head to toe. His voice was calm and neutral as he said “What an interesting choice.”

Your heart sank instantly.

The smile on your face faltered and dropped. Old memories rushed in, your ex sneering comments, the way he’d criticize anything you wore if it was even slightly eye catching, calling it “too attention seeking” “trying too hard” or “embarrassing.” You’d learned to brace yourself for the criticism the moment anyone questioned your outfit.

“I… I’ll go change” you said softly, already turning back toward the stairs, shoulders curling inward.

A gentle but firm hand caught your wrist. “My love, wait!” Malleus stood up, towering over you, but his touch was incredibly careful. He looked genuinely confused, brows slightly furrowed. “Why would you change? Your outfit is lovely. The colors suit you beautifully, and it looks comfortable for walking around the town.”

You stopped, fidgeting nervously with your fingers as you looked up at him. “I thought… you didn’t like it…” you admitted quietly. “My ex used to say stuff like that when he thought I was dressed too attention seeking. He’d make me change if he thought people might look at me too much. So when you asked… I assumed you felt the same.”

Malleus was quiet for a moment. His expression softened, something protective and almost sad flickering in his eyes. He gently released your wrist only to take both of your hands. “That is foolish.” he said, voice low and sincere. “I was simply admiring you. I did not mean to cause doubt.”

He lifted one hand to gently brush a strand of hair behind your ear, his touch lingering with quiet affection. “You may wear whatever you wish. Whether it is bold or modest, bright or dark as long as you feel comfortable and confident in it, that is all that matters to me. I want to show you off proudly, not hide you away.” His lips curved into a small, warm smile, fangs peeking out just slightly. “Besides… you look radiant. I would be honored to walk beside you.”

Your smile came back slowly at first, then bloomed fully across your face, cheeks flushing with a happy warmth you hadn’t expected. “Really?” you asked, voice soft but hopeful.

“Truly.” Malleus replied, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to your forehead. “Now, shall we go? There are many gargoyles waiting to meet you… though I doubt any of them will be as charming as you in that outfit.”

He offered you his arm like the proper gentleman he was, and this time you took it without hesitation, leaning into his side with renewed confidence.

Idia Shroud

The glow of multiple monitors filled Idia’s room with shifting colors and flashing explosions. He was deep in a shooting game, fingers flying over the controller as he racked up kills with ease. You sat beside him, watching with sparkling eyes and occasional little gasps whenever he pulled off something cool.

Idia noticed. Of course he noticed. He kept glancing at you from the corner of his eye, his hair flickering a soft pink at the edges. After he finished the match with a solid victory screen, he paused the game and reached over to grab a second controller. Without saying anything, he powered on his secondary monitor, set everything up, and held the controller out to you. “Here. You try.”

You stared at the controller like it was alive. Your hands stayed firmly in your lap. “I… I shouldn’t!” you said quickly, shaking your head. “I’m gonna be really bad at it. I’ll just drag you down the whole time.”

Idia scoffed, pushing the controller closer to you. “It’s fine. I’m good enough to hard carry if you want. C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

You took the controller nervously, fingers gripping it a little too tightly. Your voice came out small and hesitant. “I don’t want to make you mad… If I’m terrible and mess up your rank or whatever, please don’t scream at me.”

Idia froze.

His head slowly turned toward you, eyes wide behind his bangs. His posture straightened as he processed your words. After a long second, he let out a snort, then started laughing, that awkward, slightly glitchy laugh he did when he didn’t know how else to react.

“Pffft… Me? Scream at you?” He shook his head. “Babe, I’ve seen you stare down overblots like it was nothing. I don’t have the balls, the HP, or the survival skills to scream at you. I’d probably just respawn in the corner crying.” He tried to play it off lightly, but his expression was unusually soft.

You opened your mouth, about to say “My ex used to…” but Idia cut you off before you could finish.

“Your ex was an imbecile. A total normie. A bronze rank loser who probably sucked at every game he touched and blamed it on you so he could feel better about himself.” Idia rolled his eyes dramatically. “Like, seriously? Getting mad at his partner for being new at a game? What a pathetic move.”

He leaned back, gently bumping his shoulder against yours. “Look, you can be trash at this game. You can feed the enemy team. You can accidentally shoot me in the back. I literally don’t care. This is supposed to be fun.” He gave you a small, shy smile, cheeks tinted pink. “Besides… it’s kinda nice having you here. Playing with you sounds way better than playing alone.”

You felt the tension in your chest slowly melt away. The fear that had become second nature started to fade under Idia’s awkward but sincere reassurance.

“…Okay” you whispered, finally relaxing your death grip on the controller. “But if I’m really bad, you have to promise not to laugh… or at least not too hard.”

Idia smirked, already setting up a casual match for you two. “No promises on the laughing. Now let’s go, newbie. Time to get carried by your ultra rare SSR boyfriend.”

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